o Neighbors describe growing tension: Dispute between Mounces, Kendall dates to late 2012
o Mounce, husband of victim, describes shooting, aftermath
A Vancouver man shot his neighbor at an intersection north of Vancouver on Friday morning, sending all available police on an hourslong search for the gunman that ended when he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
John B. Kendall, 59, was identified as the man who opened fired on his neighbor, Abigail Mounce, 33, at about 8:30 a.m. as she was driving near the intersection of Northeast 63rd Street and Andresen Road, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Mounce’s family.
Kendall and Mounce had been in a protracted legal dispute, with Mounce and her husband alleging that Kendall violated subdivision restrictions by renting rooms in his six-bedroom home.
The shots were reportedly fired from a vehicle to another vehicle, according to the emergency radio traffic.
Police converged on the intersection near Vancouver Fire Department Station 5.
Abigail Mounce was shot in the face and was immediately driven to the hospital by her husband, Erich Mounce.
“I don’t know if John was in pursuit of us or not,” Erich Mounce said to the Columbian.
Abigail Mounce is at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center where she is listed in critical condition. An online fundraiser was set up by her sister at www.gofundme.com/abigailmounce to help pay medical expenses. The page said Abigail Mounce was undergoing facial reconstructive surgery and would have a long recovery ahead.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies who responded quickly identified Kendall as the suspected gunman and deployed all available units to the places he may have gone, broadcasting a description of his car, a silver 2002 Buick Regal.
No officers were shot or injured during the incident.
A police dog was called to the scene, which is in an area of heavy brush, and the situation ended an hour later when police found Kendall deceased. Neiman did not say how Kendall died, but several officers reported via the emergency radio scanner that Kendall had died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Dog’s away!” a handler called out on the scanner.
“Dog’s at him. … Stand by!
“Dog’s on the bite. … No movement from suspect!”
Gunshots heard
Mollie Hands, who lives in The Trees trailer park where the second shooting incident occurred, said she heard several shots outside just after 9 a.m.
“I was feeding my worms when I heard five or six shots,” said Hands, who has a worm farm for composting. “I went outside, and it sounded like something was going on over by the bridge. After that I heard everyone yelling at me to go back inside.”
At one point, sometime around 10 a.m., she saw two officers hiding behind a tree in her yard looking into Blandford Canyon with binoculars.
“About a half hour after that I hear one shot,” Hands said. “Apparently it was the guy, and he killed himself.”
Police were cordoning off an area by her yard with tape at around 11 a.m.
“It’s really sad to think something like this could happen,” Hands said. “And right outside my window.”
Columbian reporters Sue Vorenberg, Justin Runquist, Marissa Harshman, Eric Florip, Tom Vogt and Craig Brown contributed to this report.
o Neighbors describe growing tension: Dispute between Mounces, Kendall dates to late 2012
